I've read through TLS/searched the web and can't seem to find a clear answer on this topic. I was born in Colombia and migrated to the U.S. at 8 yrs old. I'm a first-generation immigrant & first gen college student. Is it true that Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans are the ONLY Hispanic groups considered as URMs? Seems rather strange given Latinos from different countries of origin experience the same immigrant experience. I know it's a touchy subject, but would like to know if I should expect somewhat of a boost or not at all.

Thank you!!

Hello everyone! Quick question:

I've been thinking long and hard about my personal statement and I've decided that I can write the most enthusiastic paper about a poker experience that I have had. I believe that this is a great story and would really catch the attention of perspective admissions staff. However, I am concerned that the subject matter may be viewed negatively, as poker / gambling can come with a stigma.

What do you all think about this?

HI all,

I scored a 172 and have a 4.0 from a big state school and I think my lsac gpa will be about a 3.96. I'm trying for yhs admission and was planning on retaking in dec. because I scored a bit below where I was practicing. I'm wondering whether it would be more beneficial to apply early in the cycle and use the dec. test to potentially get off a waitlist, or wait until dec. to submit apps. I think the rest of my application is relatively weak compared to other applicants.

Thanks!

Hello all! I was just wondering if anyone knows if any of the more extensive admissions courses on 7Sage (like the editing options) would be applicable to people only applying to Canadian schools?

Thanks!!

Hi all,

I'm in a bit of a conundrum. I will preface this post by saying for most of my life race/ethnicity was not a big part of my identity, nor did I really research or probe my parents about my ancestry. My parents are both from the Philippines, so naturally in Undergrad admissions I merely put "Asian" as my race.

However, throughout college my ethnic background and ancestry has become more important to me. In fact, my personal statement will be about how my family's immigrant history pushed me to pursue law.

I found out that my ethnic background isn't just purely Filipino. I always sort of knew this, my dad doesn't look Filipino at all and my mom is more pale-skinned.

My dad is what Filipinos call a "mestizo-pinoy" - 1/2 Spanish (from Spain), 1/2 Filipino. My mom is 1/2 Chinese, 1/2 Filipino.

I mean my dad literally gets mistaken for purely Hispanic (he has really really curly hair and pale white skin). Our mixed genetics has made all my brothers look very different - one looks Mexican, one like a Hapa, one like an Italian, and then me - the most Chinese looking one.

To mark my application as just Asian - Filipino/Chinese feels wrong. It's not an accurate portrayal of what my ethnicity really is, nor is it what I identify as.

But how do I mark "Spanish?" Caucasian? Hispanic? Also, while the U.S. Census Bureau's understanding of the definition of "Hispanic" is those Latin American countries or other countries that speak Spanish, others define it as those countries that were colonized by Spain and had resulting Spanish influence. The Philippines, a country that was colonized by the Spaniards, has pretty evident Spanish influence (a high level of Catholocism, the food, even people's names (dad's name is Alberto, mom's is Trinidad (Spanish for Trinity)), and is grouped in as being a Hispanic nation according to non-Census standards.

Because of that, I personally identify as having come from a Hispanic country, but this is currently incongruous with the U.S. Census Bureau's definition.

If it were up to what I personally identify as, I would 100% put Hispanic. However, I'm worried this will look disingenuous to the admission's officers or the LSAC in general. I'm contemplating sending an e-mail directly to the LSAC to lay all my cards on the table and get a decision with some finality.

But what do you all think? What should I mark my ethnicity as? Especially mentors/people working for 7Sage. I could really use the advice!

Thanks in advance.

Hi guys,

It was just as I has predicted. I have a Below Average evaluation. That is tantamount to a D.

I seriously need some opinion/advice on whether or not to apply to law school at all even if I get a good LSAT score.

A D evaluation will be regarded as not passing by law schools, so I think my application will go to the bin regardless of LSAT scores.

I am targeting T3/4 law schools, but those won't be possible and might be a long shot.

Advice much needed.

Hello 7sagers - good luck to those taking the upcoming September LSAT! I'm having some trouble coming up with a personal statement topic. Does talking about my college athletic career and the characteristics/traits its developed in me an overused topic? I've thought about taking the angle of how I went into college with an idea of how my career would turn out, how it didn't, and what I learned from that and how it lead me to pursue a legal career. Thoughts?

How can we pit schools against one another? I am working under the assumption that if I applied to school X with a GPA/LSAT higher than their medium and I applied to no other schools, then I would receive less scholarship money (generally speaking) than if I applied to schools which School X competes with and was accepted to those competitor schools.

Maybe that assumption is wrong. Please let me know.

But assuming that it is right, how should we choose those other schools to apply to? Regionally? USNWR rank adjacent?

@"David.Busis" perhaps this is covered in one of the admissions courses. I am focused on my LSAT so have not ventured much into that world.

I have deferred taking the exam a couple of times now and I just have to bite the bullet and take it in September. However, I am making progress and I feel like I could get the score I want by December. I know that everyone says that you shouldn't take the test until you're ready, but I've wasted so much money and I think putting it off again will mess with my head space. My plan is to take the test in September, apply to the schools within my range, and then if need be, take it again in December and apply to my reach schools with the (hopefully) better score added to my application. Does LSAC allow this? Please don't tell me to just wait until December, my parents will kill me if I put it off AGAIN!

How important is club leadership position in applying to law school and resumes? For such a long time I have heard how it is able to boost your resume or application, but how much so?

Hi!

For people who took the June LSAT and ticked off "yes" for the CRS service on LSAC, have you been getting merit-based fee waiver email notifications from law schools? I heard that the schools find potential candidates via CRS and start sending them fee waivers sometime after the LSAT scores come out.

Thanks!

Hey so I'm curious if it matters if the LOR's are from a TA or professor? does it look bad if you have one written by a community college professor (I am a transfer student) and another one from a TA at a University.

I'm aiming to take the test between December and June 2018 so won't be applying until end of next year most likely. I have a few work trips coming up next month to cities where schools I am interested in are located. Is it too early to do a school visit since I'll be in town? I was once told not to visit a school until you've completed your LSAT and you're ready to apply. Is this a rule or am I just overthinking? I'd love to visit any school I'm interested in in order to make an informed decision and many are in cities that are far from where I live. If I have an opportunity for a free trip from my company, I'd like to take advantage of it.

Hello, everyone!

I wanted to hear opinions and gather data on weighing the costs and benefits of applying to law school after fall semester (early December at my university) with a higher GPA compared to applying much earlier in the application cycle (Late September/Early October) with one's existing GPA.

For context, I'm currently in the 75th percentile for LSAT, and between the 25th and 75th percentiles for GPA at most of the schools to which I'm applying. If all goes well, my GPA will rise by .03 after Autumn semester grades are applied to cumulatives. Obviously .03 wouldn't matter much if I was already well above or well below the inner GPA quartiles, but being inside of it, how does the potential GPA boost stack up against the drawbacks from a later application?

I've seen those statistics that try to equate additional units of GPA with additional chance of admission, but my hunch is that those are more correlative and based on averages whereas incremental GPA increases aren't nearly as distinguishing as other soft factors.

Does it vary by program? Would T6 schools treat it differently than T14 or T50 or T100?

I'd love to hear input for all contexts of the question :) Thanks!

Hey guys,

I was just going through the admissions package on 7sage and came across the resume portion. I am applying to Canadian law schools and was wondering if the applications require a resume? I did create one but not sure if I even need one.

I didn't see anything about a resume on any of the law schools admission requirements or maybe I just missed it entirely. I know 7sage discusses that American law schools do require one..

Thanks in advance!

So I am applying to law schools early (September/October) and my target school has interviews for an honors program that I am applying to. I have tried googling possible questions that they may ask but I get mostly examples for post-law interviews. I assume that many of the questions will be similar to the ones asked during post-law job interviews minus the obvious law school performance ones. Do you know what sort of questions may be asked? I don't have any shortcomings on my profile and I am not aware if it a group interview or with one person.

Hey 7Sagers!

Bringing up a touchy subject here, but I have been told to stay away from PS that talk about how to change the injustice/horrible world through law (in your PS). Does the same apply if you have personally gone through tough circumstances, poverty, or grew up in a country with such?

Further, I have been looking at many example essays (both admitted and rejected students) and it seems to me like many of the ADMITTED students talk about "securing rights and liberties for disadvantaged individuals" or "changing the world through law" aka making the world a better place. Now I realize there are a lot of different factors that can cause these individuals to be accepted, but nonetheless I couldn't help but notice a trend of these essays being admitted, when people are told to stay away from them...

Thoughts?

Let me preface this by saying, I am a minority. The purpose of this is in reference to an article I read a couple days ago regarding affirmative action in higher education admissions (not trying to ruffle any political feathers...but if you want to read the article, I attached the link at the bottom).

As a minority, is it true that admission officers prefer certain sub-sects of minorities over others? For example, do they prefer Filipino applicants over Chinese applicants, or Mexican-Americans over Cuban-Americans (as referenced in the article)? And in the case of Asian minorities (hint: I'm Asian), does it help to specify what type of Asian you are, if it will indeed be preferred by the school?

From what I've been reading, it basically doesn't give you any advantage to say that you're simply Asian, but I'm wondering if it actually does help if you specify what type of Asian. Anyone have any experience with this?

Article: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/450088/sessions-investigates-racial-discrimination-affirmative-action-college-admission

Unless your hope is a full-ride (do they give those anywhere?), how do you plan on paying for law school? Outside of taking a cue from Kim K's surrogate and getting paid $100K to grow a celebrity's baby in my stomach, I'm not sure how else to afford this other than dreaded loans. :-(

Hey 7sagers,

I think it's time for me to ask for some LORS. I understand that most law schools require academic, but what does this actually mean? I have had mainly sessional professors and I did not have a lot of contact with them. I have four professors in mind right now.

One is a professor who I have had a close relationship with, however I did not receive in an A in the class. I am not sure if it is a good idea to ask her.

As for another professor, I have had him teach me one class but he did say that he would love to give me a reference letter. Nonetheless, I went to his officer hours, and I've met him outside of class for dinner with other students as well.

Recently, I took only one class and I did receive an A from the professor and he does know who I am but I did not have a lot of contact with him as he did not really respond to any student's emails. He didn't even attend office hours. Though, I do believe he would give me a good reference letter since he did like me as a student in his class. I did exceptionally well in the class.

Lastly, this professor taught me two classes where she was my TA for one class, and a professor for my other class. She knows me fairly well, however I have not had any contact with her ever since my last class (which was a semester or two ago). The class I had with her was super interactive so she does know me pretty well. Plus I did really well in her class!

Basically, I have done pretty well in their classes but I am not sure how to approach these professors and what LORS are really looking for. I have always been a student that sits in class, engages in the class, and gets A's but I haven't had A LOT of contact with my professors. I am basically a student who aims to do exceptionally well in classes but I didn't have a close relationship with my professors.. which I probably should have now that I am applying for law school.

Not sure how I should email them and what I should include in my email that I am sending to them.

Also, is it recommended to email the same reference letter across schools since some of them ask for only two whereas some ask for 3?

Sorry in my advance if I made this confusing to understand. Just a little stressed since applications are coming up!

Hey everyone,

I know i'm still studying like a mad-man for the LSAT, but I want to get my ducks in a row regardless of if i'm taking the September or December. As of today i've had four LOR offers from various people and I'm not quite sure who exactly I should take since I believe the typical amount is 3. I've heard four is overkill, but please correct me if i'm wrong!

Head of my major - I took his course and was the only person to receive an A in his class. I routinely went to office hours and he had me organize review groups before exams to help those who were struggling. I have a great relationship with him and he's even offered to proof my applications and personal statements.

Congressman - I am a summer intern for this Congressman who i've had a great experience with. There is a good handful of us who are interns, but I routinely get pulled to attend exclusive meetings/summits/interviews/roundtables/etc by him. I know the LOR would be a solid one, as he has told me himself that he would love to write one for me for law school.

Senator - I was a fall intern for this Senator who has remained in touch. This was another incredible experience from start to finish. She has well offered to write me a LOR due to the extra hours I always put in and flexibility in rather crazy situations. This woman threw me a surprise birthday party to put this into perspective.

PHD Professor - This professor was an amazing class with an even more amazing professor. She was incredibly kind, informative and helpful. She always took the time to send me detailed notes on my work and offered at the end of the semester to write a LOR for getting an A in her course. She's the youngest tenure professor in my major.

I've heard academic is always a better option but I feel all four would be excellent LORs that I'm lucky to have. What should I do? Who should I turn away? Should I take them all? I also still have two more semesters to get LORs if need be and I have a couple of tentative offers as well if you guys think these aren't a good fit.

Thank you so much!

Hey guys!

So I am going to begin writing up my personal statements, however I have no idea where to start. I am applying to Canadian law schools and I am not sure how to start writing especially if applications are not yet open.

I understand that each law school usually has a different personal statement topic but they are all similar to some extent... Any suggestions on where to find specific topics and how to get started? I also don't want to spend any money on the personal statement bundle.. What have been some past topics?

Thanks in advance!

I went through the admissions course, and am wondering what other's thoughts are regarding whether or not my situation would count as allowing for a diversity statement.

I am a Doctor. I am currently a Family Medicine resident but with the desire to practice law with my medical background.

I was hoping to mainly focus on the being a M.D. part as that is something I know that greatly separates me from the vast majority of law applicants and is part of the basis of how and what I would like to do with the joint degrees.

I also happen to have cerebral palsy, extremely mild, but did have to have 6 major surgeries, but I only walk with a minor limp and can ski downhill on expert runs, but it did greatly affect my upbringing.

Appreciate anyone's input, will provide some more information if it would better help with providing an answer.

Thanks everyone!

Hi 7sagers,

I am a few years out of UG and finally ready to apply to law school (hoping for fall 2018 start). My UG institution submitted my transcript the other day, and I payed for the CAS earlier this morning to get the ball rolling. I'm a little confused about my LSAC GPA and transcript. During my junior year, I studied outside of the Untied States from August to June. Although my UG grades are not calculated with the study abroad grades, they are listed under the category of "TRANSFER CREDIT ACCEPTED BY THE INSTITUTION" with the credit information and alphabetical grade listed next to each class. For example, Economic Development is listed with 1.00 and T A-. The T denotes that it is a transfer credit. Since this was a year's worth of study it's a significant amount of credit...

Now, when I got to my Academic Summary Report on LSAC, the LSAC GPA is calculated using my other three years of UG, not the year I spent abroad. The year I spent abroad isn't even listed in the yearly row at the top of the report. Even though my total credits add up to the right amount, it looks like I wasn't doing anything for an entire year. I called LSAC earlier today, but they weren't very helpful. They said LSAC will only calculate things in your GPA if the courses were taken at U.S. institutions or a foreign institution on one of the list of approved schools.

Is this something I should consider writing a short addendum so admissions know I wasn't sitting around for a year doing nothing? Anything else I can do?

This might be a stretch…but do any of you know of a guide of sorts to the T14 (and maybe beyond)?